Fall in love with Cajun Food . .bring New Orleans home!

We all love those sultry summer nights, but New Orleans’ fall season is scrumptious. The Saints marching in the Superdome, the Seafood Festival, Blues and BBQ, the Art Walk…these are just some of the amazing things that make New Orleans so unique in the autumn months. While every city around the United States is ramping up their food festivals, the lovely, rambunctious city of N’awlins, as the locals call it, brings the summer season to a close with a full-on celebration of all that this crisp and refreshing this time of year.

Picture yourself in a cardigan and boat shoes walking through the French Quarter, smelling not the heat and seduction of summertime, but the scents of fried shrimp and fires burning while you head to the New Orleans Film Festival, eating Beignets and drinking bourbon.

Bring a little “who dat” to one of Pennsylvania’s Favorite’s – Scrapple

Need a satisfying yet surprisingly subtle, lower-fat version of Scrapple?  Why not put a Cajun twist on it and add shrimp and Andouille?  We’ve got just what you are looking for with Chef Bill Beck’s recipe. It is not too spicy and great with fried eggs and cheese on French bread as a specialty breakfast po-boy.

Take it from Chef Bill Beck, it brings a little “who dat” to one of Pennsylvania’s favorite foods!

Ingredients:

1.25 Lbs. Andouille Sausage
1 Lbs Shrimp, peeled, deveined,and raw
3 Cups Yellow Cornmeal
2 Cups Buckwheat Flour
2 Quarts Pork Stock (use low salt bouillon cubes or make your own from scrapes)
1.5 Cups Onion
2 Tbl Fresh Garlic
0.25 Tsp Mace
1 Tsp Oregano
2 Tsp Beck’s Devil Dust
2 ea Tbl Vegetable oil
To Taste: Salt and Pepper

Preparation:
1. Slice Andouille sausage links into four pieces per link, top to bottom
2. Medium dice onion and garlic, keep separate
3. Heat skillet, add half the veg. oil and lay Andouille sausage out like bacon and lightly caramelize in pan, do all and set sausage a side
4. In same pan while still hot, add rest of oil followed by the onion, cook till lightly caramelized. Then add the garlic, cook two minutes while stirring.
5. Add shrimp to the onion- garlic mixture and let simmer until the shrimp have released their liquid and the pan is dry.
6. Cool mixture for a couple of minutes, then combine with Andouillie and liquefy the mixture in a blender.
7. Put pureed mixture into sauce pan; add the seasonings followed by the cornmeal, buckwheat flour and the stock, add stock slowly stirring all the while.
8. Bring all to a simmer, and reduce for 10 to 15 minutes stirring all the while until the mixture is very thick and paste-like.
9. Add salt and pepper to taste.
10. Butter loaf pans 3-4, pour in mixture, and refrigerate 4-6 hours till firm. Freeze well.
11. When ready to cook, cut and dredge in flour on all sides, cook in grease or oil until crispy and brown.

We’d love to hear from you when you try this recipe.  Please let us know on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram how it turns out!

Shrimp are Jumpin Out of the Bayou! Creole Shrimp Recipe

 

 

The shrimp are jumpin out of the bayou!  Quick scoop those clean and crisp shrimp up! Try cooking Chef Bill’s Creole Shrimp Recipe.  Guaranteed to get your Taste-buds a hoppin!

 

 

 

Ingredients:

1. 3 TBL olive oil (divided into two equal portions)
2. 16 jumbo shrimp( 16-20 size)
3. 1.25 TBL Beck’s Angel Dust
4. 1.25 TBL Beck’s Devil Dust
5. 1 shrimp bouillon( Swiss Knorr does a acceptable product)
6. ¾ cup white wine ( chardonnay or pinot grisio)
7. 2 cups diced tomato
8. 4 oz celery, small diced
9. 4 oz green bell pepper, small diced
10. 4 oz onion, small  diced
11. 4 ea garlic cloves, sliced
12. 2tbl butter, unsalted
13. ½ cup water
14. 4 scallions, sliced on a bias (will use as garnish)
15. 4 cups white or brown rice cooked

 

Preparation:

1. Wash and dry shrimp
2. Toss with olive oil and Beck’s Angel Dust and Beck’s Devil Dust
3. Add to preheated sauté pan and sauté until halfway cooked (will be pink-white with plenty of “give” to the flesh)
4. Remove the shrimp and set aside while we stager cook the rest of the ingredients
5. Add celery, pepper, and onion, sauté till lightly caramelized (about 2-3 minutes)
6. Now add the garlic, cook till lightly browned about 30 seconds.
7. Deglaze the pan with the white wine, allow to flame up, and add bouillon cube.
8. Add the diced tomatoes and water, simmer for 2 minutes
9. Add the shrimp back to the pan cook for I minute
10. Cut butter into 4 equal pieces and add to the sauté pan, turn off the flame. Stir in the butter till fully incorporated into the dish.
11. Divide Creole shrimp into 4 equal portions in wide shallow bowls, pull the 4 shrimp per bowl to the outer edge of the bowl to allow room to put a nice round hot steaming scoop( ice cream scoop ) of rice in the center of the bowl and garnish with fresh scallion.

Need to add some Cajun flare to your next event?  Try Beck’s Cajun Catering at your next event.

Beck’s Barbecued Onion Meatloaf

Meatloaf is a perennial favorite. With Beck’s Barbecued Onions it reaches another level.

This was sent to us by a customer and loyal fan of our pantry products…She wishes to remain anonymous, and after trying her meatloaf we can see why.  She might have a crowd outside her house if we revealed her identity.

Desperation often leads to discovery, as is the case with this recipe.  I was planning to make meatloaf for my family’s dinner, but learned rather late in the process that we were out of the onions, carrots, and celery that I usually saute and blend with the meat.  Determined to avoid an evening shop, and short on time if meatloaf tartare was not to be our dinner, I began to search the cupboards.  Thank you Beck’s;  your Barbecued Onion Relish saved the dinner and the day.  Here’s how:

BBQ Onion Meatloaf

1 1/2 lbs 85% lean ground beef

1 jar Beck’s Barbecued Onion Relish, 3/4 jar for blending w/ meat, remaining for topping/garnish

2 eggs

3/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs

2 TBSP Worcestershire Sauce

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup ketchup

Heat oven to 375.  Thoroughly mix all ingredient except ketchup and 1/4 jar bbq onions.  Shape meatloaf into oblong rectangle in baking pan and top with ketchup.  Bake 45-50 mins til cooked through.  During last 5 minutes of cooking, top with remaining bbq onions if desired.  Let sit for 5 minutes after removing from oven.  Serve and enjoy.    Never bother chopping onions, carrots and celery for meatloaf again!

Reveillon Recipe — Daube Glacee

Réveillon (“awakening”) is a dinner held on the evenings preceding Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. It is so named because participants stay awake well past midnight. The tradition is still observed in New Orleans. Try Daube Glacee (Terrene of Beef Shortribs), courtesy of Chef John Besh, with a twist from Beck’s.

Ingredients:

• Four pounds boneless beef short ribs, cut into 2-inch cubes
• Beck’s Devil Dust
• One-quarter cup sugar
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• One Quarter cup canola oil
• Two large onions, diced
• One stalk celery, diced
• Three cloves garlic, minced
• One carrot, peeled and diced
• Two cups red wine
• Two bay leaves
• One cup canned chopped tomatoes
• Two cups Basic Veal Stock
• Two ounces dried mushrooms, softened in warm water and minced
• Leaves from 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• One envelope gelatin
• Pickles

Method:

Season the short ribs with the Beck’s Devil Dust, sugar, salt, and pepper. Heat the canola oil in a large heavy pot over high heat. Add the meat; several pieces at a time, taking care not to crowd the pot, as crowding will prevent the meat from browning. Turn the meat often, carefully allowing each piece to brown before transferring it from the pot to a platter.

When all the beef has browned and has been removed from the pot, add the onions, celery, garlic, and carrots. Stirring constantly, allow the vegetables to cook until the onions become mahogany in color, about 20 minutesReturn the beef to the pot. Then add the wine, bay leaves, tomatoes, Veal Stock, mushrooms, and thyme. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the beef is fork tender, about 2 hours.

Once the beef is cooked, remove from the stove, discard the bay leaves, and skim off any fat floating on the surface. Season the daube with salt and pepper. If serving the daube hot, serve it over rice, pasta, or potatoes.

To serve the daube as a cold terrine, soften the unflavored gelatin in 2 TBSP cold water in a small bowl, then stir into the hot daube. Let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate in the pot, as it is traditionally done, or transfer the stew to a terrine and refrigerate overnight or until cold and set.

Serves 8 to 10 people.

World’s Biggest Train Wreck Sandwich

We set the record yesterday–making our biggest train wreck ever, a 6 foot long sub of Best of Philly sandwich heaven.

We started with a gigantic loaf of hoagie bread…

Then we sauteed steak meat with caramelized onions, salami and andouille sausage and topped it all with American cheese.  While that was cooking up to a delicious blend of spicy goodness, we slathered a healthy dose of our Creole Mayo on the bread. 

And finally, we filled the bread with the steak mixture, closed it up and sliced it up for all to enjoy. And no, there was not a piece left.

Missed it? Come on into Beck’s for a regular sized version of this Best of Philly winning sandwich!

Creole Turkey Reuben Recipe

Sent in by a customer:  Creole Turkey Reuben is a delicious way to use Beck’s Creole Mayo.  Yummmm.

Spread two slices of rye (or wheat) bread with Creole Mayo.  Lay them in a lightly oiled skillet, and top with a few slices turkey, swiss cheese, and a scoop of sauerkraut.  Grill until the bread is toasted, the cheese is melted and the fillings are heated through.  Put the sandwich together, and never look at lunch the same way again.

We can barely keep this stuff on the shelves.  Our customers are crazy for our Creole Mayo, and with good reason.  It provides a healthy dose of New Orleans Jazz to every dish it plays with.

Beck’s Cajun Frittata

A hearty slice of frittata goes well with Beck's BBQ Relish

 

As seen on FOX this week, here’s Chef Bill’s Cajun Frittata recipe.  Serves 4-6 people, depending on how hungry you are!

Ingredients

• 2 andouille sausages thinly sliced
• 1 stick of celery finely chopped
• 1 small onion finely sliced
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 red and 1 green bell pepper, sliced finely
• 6 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons fresh Italian flat parsley, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black papper
• 1/2 tsp of hot sauce (if liked) or a sprinkling of Beck’s Devil Dust

 Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Heat the oil in an overproof frypan. Add the andouille and fry until lightly browned. Add peppers, onion and celery and cook until softened. Take pan off stove.
3. Whisk eggs. Add pepper, hot sauce (if desired) and any other flavorings.
4. Pour this mixture over andouille/peppers.
5. Return pan to stove and cook egg mixture until the bottom is firm, but the top is not yet set.
6. Place the frypan/skillet in the oven and cook until the frittata is set and is turning brown.  
7. Remove from oven, serve and enjoy.

Try the frittata with a spoonful of Beck’s BBQ Onion Relish…smokin’

Pralines for Pecan Day!

Tomorrow is Pecan Day!  In honor of this momentous occasion, we are churning out batches of  Pralines.

In reading up on pecans for this post, we learned some interesting facts:

• Pecan trees are the only nut tree native to North America.
• George Washington planted pecan trees at Mt. Vernon.
• Pecan comes from an Algonquin word that means “any nut requiring a stone to crack”.
• Pecans are chock-full of anti-oxidants, are thought to be good for the neurological system, and can lower cholesterol.

We sure hope you’ll stop in and try some of our pecan pralines, but if you can’t make it to Reading Terminal Market this weekend, we’ll share our recipe with you:

Louisiana Pecan Pralines

Makes 2 dozen

1 cup light brown sugar

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup evaporated milk

2 TBSP butter

1 TBSP light corn syrup

pinch salt

1 tsp vanilla

1 3/4 cups pecan halves

In saucepan, mix sugars, milk, butter, syrup and salt with wooden spoon.  Cook to softball stage (235 degrees).  Remove from heat and add vanilla and nuts.  Beat til mixture thickens, 1 minute.  Drop by teaspoonfuls onto buttered waxed paper; allow to cool and solidify.

Beck’s Garden District Salad

 

At La Cucina’s “Girls Night Out” Cajun Cooking Class, Chef Bill Beck shared his tricks of the trade

The Garden District in New Orleans is world famous as an example of Southern architecture.

The District earned its name because of the mansions built in this spot for the wealthy plantation owners: their supersized houses initially featured glorious oversized gardens.

As the City grew during the late 1800s, a number of the owners of these spectacular mansions sold off parcels of their land and smaller Victorian houses were built on the site of these former gardens.

Today, the Garden District is a unique melting pot of architectural styles, characterized by “a mélange of high styles gleaned from not just the Spanish and French, but also from the Italians, the British, and the “Greek Revival.” (for further info, see About.com’s insightful overview on the District’s lineage.)

The food emanating from New Orleans reflects the varied influences that shape and define this unique city – which is what makes the New Orleans cuisine so attractive.

In tribute to this heritage, Chef Bill Beck of Beck’s Cajun Cafe rolled out his Garden District Salad at a recent cooking class held at La Cucina in Reading Terminal Market.  The classes, designated as a “Girls’ Night Out,” focused on Cajun cooking with Chef Bill demonstrating a series of New Orleans small plates, including this Garden District Salad.

The salad is colorful and evocative of sunshine-laden days spent in New Orleans….

Ingredients

(This salad serves 4 people.  Scale up quantities dependent on the size of your dinner party!)

1x jar of marinated artichokes

4 stems of hearts of palm, cut into 1/2 inch rounds

1 red pepper roasted and skin removed, then cut into strips.

Spring mix salad greens

For the vinaigrette dressing

(The recipe below produces approximately 14 oz of dressing.  As the recipe includes raw egg we would not recommend storing the dressing for any length of time.  Use immediately.  If you would like to omit the egg then the dressing will keep for longer, perhaps 2-3 days, in the fridge.

2 tsps of Dijon mustardbsps olive oil

3 cloves of garlic minced

1 egg white

6oz of virgin olive oil

4oz of vegetable oil

2 tbsps of finely minced cloves

2-3 tbsps of water

1 1/2 tbsps of honey

Juice of a lemon

1 1/2 oz Apple Cider

1 1/2 oz Champagne Cider

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Mix first three ingredients together in a bowl.

2. Slowly add the two types of oil to this mix. Add approx 2oz at a time (Note the virgin olive oil provides a strong flavor.  To balance this out and ensure that the salad is not overwhelmed, Chef Bill prefers to use vegetable oil in tandem with the virgin oil.)

3. Add chives, water – to thin the dressing slightly – and the honey.

4. Add the juice of the lemon and then add the two vinegars a little at a time — to stretch out the dressing.

5. Season with salt and pepper.

6. Toss Spring mix salad in dressing, then add in other prepared salad ingredients (artichokes, pepper, hearts of palm.)

The resulting salad has great texture and crunch.  Enjoy!